New Year January 2025

To highlight 2024, I only got one new lifer back in January - Black-billed Magpie.  It wasn't a good year for butterflies or dragonflies.  There were not many around.  I had to really look for them through the Summer and Fall.

I started the new year 2025 going to Fanshawe CA to see what was around.  There were a nice variety of birds at the Tamarack Trail.  Lots of Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Black-capped Chickadees.  I also saw two juvenile Bald Eagles fly over.

Northern Cardinal

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Dark-eyed Junco

Mourning Dove

Yesterday (January 4), I went to Greenway Park for a walk.  It was really cold feeling like -15c and a strong, cold West wind.  There were snow squalls too.  I walked along Thames River and saw lots of Common Mergansers, some Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneyes, American Black Duck and lots of Canada Geese and Mallards.  The Ring-necked Duck is still there.  Two juvenile Bald Eagles were flying over the river.  I will go to Greenway one more time this coming week before the area is closed down for construction until mid-March.  

Blue Jay

Ring-necked Duck (centre)

Common Mergansers

Birding in London Parks

I got around to some London parks this past week.  A very cold week.  At Gibbons Park, there were the usual Canada Geese and Mallards.  I also saw some Hooded Mergansers swimming around and fishing.  They are fast little swimmers.

Hooded Mergansers

Other birds I saw were White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Dark-eyed Juncos, American Goldfinch, Blue Jays and 5 Robins, which is always nice to see.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Some scenes of Thames River.

Greenway Park - Lots of Canada Geese (over 200), Mallards (over 200) along the banks of the river, Bufflehead, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Great Blue Heron, and some Black Ducks.

Black Duck to the right

This Bald Eagle was flying around and landed right above me!  Magnificent birds!

This poor thing (Great Blue Heron) is really tucked in to stay warm.  It was really cold, feeling like -19c.  

Yesterday, I went to Fanshawe CA to see what was around.  I walked to the dam.  The lake was frozen the one side but there was water below the dam where I saw the Common Goldeneyes, Canada Geese and Mallards.  Really cold!  I mainly watched the birds at the start of Tamarack Trail.  People leave bird seed there.  Lots of nice birds, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Tree Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Downy Woodpeckers.  

At one of the parks, the Great Horned Owl just started nesting last week.

March into April Findings

 End of March into April 2021

I have been birding around London trying to find some new migrants.  Now, one starts to find some birds building nests or finding suitable areas to build a nest.  

I found this Canada Goose on the bank of the Thames River on her nest.

The Black-capped Chickadees were doing some house cleaning in a hole of the tree branch.  The pair were taking turns going in and out of the hole.

Song Sparrow

The Ospreys are returning and at this particular Ospreys nest it was occupied by a Canada Goose high in the light standard of a baseball diamond.

A Red-tailed Hawk is flying with nesting material.

American Robin

Dark-eyed Junco

Cooper's Hawk

I am starting to find plants and flowers now.  So I will be concentrating on plants along with finding birds. 

Common Snowdrop

Mayapple

Tundra Swan Migration - 2019

Aylmer Wildlife Management Area          0c, sunny, NW winds..35km gust 

I went to the Aylmer Wildlife Management Area today to view the Tundra Swans on their journey to the high Arctic.  The count was approx. 750 swans and Canada Geese mixed in too.  There was some open water and also ice.  Here are some of the photos I took.

I also saw Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Juncos, Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, a Ring-billed Gull and a Tree Sparrow.